


The Friends of my Friends

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: On and On [6]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Drama, F/M, Friendship, Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 19:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9917429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: Maybe it was better not to label it or give himself a headache trying to fit it perfectly in a box since it wasn’t quite about them anyway.





	

Liv looked at her watch as she stood outside of the community center. It was ten to nine, which meant that she was early. She thought about going inside, asking a few questions, but it was probably just better to wait. He shuffled her feet just a bit, adjusting the umbrella over her head to protect her from the drizzle. June was at the midway point so Manhattan was in full summer swing. 

Morningside Heights was as bustling as always. There were students, neighbors, cabbies, a few adventurous tourists…this part of town didn’t have hours. The community center seemed non-descript but it had been a neighborhood institution since right after WWII. It was where Ed Tucker’s stitch and bitch group met every Monday evening from 7:30 to 9 for knitting, crocheting, conversation, and snacks. 

Liv couldn’t help but smile thinking of Ed knitting. He told her that he picked it up post-retirement. Not only was he good at it but it turned out to be good for his health. He liked his group; having an outlet once a week for his hobby and the things on his mind kept him coming for over a year. Soon enough a group of people came out of the door, laughing and chatting as they held the door for each other.

“Hey there.” Liv held her umbrella back some so Ed would see her face.

“Hi.” He smiled. “You weren't waiting too long, were you?”

“About 10 minutes.”

“You should've come inside so you didn’t get wet.”

“I'm good; my umbrella was pretty effective.”

“Gee Tucker, you're going to have an entire conversation and we’re all just standing here politely waiting for an introduction.” The only other guy in the group said. He was Ed’s height, black, broad, and carried a colorful satchel bag reminiscent of Mary Poppins.

“Give me a chance, guys.” Ed said. “Liv, this is about 50% of my stitch and bitch group. Meet Ron, Maggie, Kitty, Sruthi, and Diane. Guys, this is my friend Liv.”

She smiled, shaking a group of eager hands. She was delighted to meet them all.

“Are you just friends?” Maggie asked with a thick Scottish accent. She looked to be about 60, dressed impeccably with coiffed hair while everyone else was casually dressed.

“Just friends.” Ed replied before Liv could say a word.

“Pity.” Sruthi and Kitty shared a look and then a laugh.

“What did I just miss?” Liv asked.

“Kitty pounces on older women like her namesake takes down mice.” Ron said.

“Don’t eyeball Liv.” Ed said.

“You said you were just friends, Tucker.” Kitty said.

“Liv is Noah’s mom.”

“Oh my god.”

Suddenly the whole atmosphere changed. Everyone wanted to talk about how cute he was, how much fun he and Ed had together, and how Ed was such an enthusiastic dad. Diane thought Noah had Liv’s eyes and Maggie described him as a perfect little marshmallow.

“Thank you.” Liv said, unsure if there was any other way to respond. “We should probably get going, Ed.”

“Yes.” Ed smiled. “I’ll see you guys next week.”

“Text me so I won't forget the sparkly rainbow yarn.” Ron said. “I have plenty of it and have come up short on what to do with it since Pride last year.”

“I will.” Ed nodded. “Be safe going home guys.”

“Later mothertucker!” Sruthi shouted as they started down the street. There was a loud chorus of a variety of goodbyes along with animated chatter amongst themselves. 

Liv watched them go and looked at Ed. He had an animated look on his face as he threw his backpack on his shoulder and took a cigarette from his pocket.

“They are certainly a lively group.” She held her umbrella up so Ed could share, smiling when he stepped into her space.

“Oh yes they are. We’re never less than four, average about eight, and the group as a whole is about 13 or 14. Ron keeps track of member logs…he's an accountant and loves that kind of thing. It’s over 21 only so we usually drink wine, beer, and just let go. We’re actually the only group in the community center with permission to have alcohol at our meetings. We have to bring it with us and take it with us. They have AA meetings at the community center but never in our time slot. What?”

“What, what?”

“Your face, that’s what. And I don’t mean that in a rude way, I promise.”

“You have a stitch and bitch group. Ed Tucker stitches and bitches.”

“My doctor assures me that it’s actually improved my health. We even have subjects that are 100% off limits. We love to keep the environment informative, current, but never volatile.”

“And what do you need sparkly rainbow yarn for?” Liv asked.

“I'm making socks for Caitlin and the sleeves of a sweater for Sean. C'mon, do you wanna go to Flip’s Pizza or someplace nicer?”

“I'd honestly love Mama June’s.” Liv said. “It’s a bit of walk though.”

“It’s not too far and it’s only drizzling so we really don’t need the umbrella. Is Sam with Noah tonight?”

“Yes.” Liv put her umbrella down and twisted it close. The rain was falling lightly, it actually felt good on her skin. “One of these days he's going to meet someone amazing, get married, start his own family, and I'm going to lose the best babysitter in the five boroughs.”

“It’s nice to feel wanted.” Ed said.

“He's pretty much just watching Noah sleep tonight. School ends on Thursday but I'm not going to let him just goof off during his last week. We've got to come up with a plan to put his summer to the best use education wise.”

“What did he do last year?” Ed asked. At a light that wasn’t quite red, he used his arm to stop her at the waist. He mumbled something about a force of habit as he put his arm down.

“It’s OK.” Liv stepped back up on the curb. “Last summer he did school prep classes. He's still young and in the right environment Noah can be convinced that learning is fun. The first 4 years of school is where kids learn the fundamentals to take them all the way through high school.”

“He can't do school prep this summer?” Ed asked as they walked across the street.

“That program is specifically for kindergartners about to enter first grade when teachers are concerned they haven’t had all they need to succeed. It’s actually offered by the school district specifically for kids with disabilities and delays.”

“Does Noah have an official diagnosis?” Ed asked. “We haven’t really talked about that.”

“There's a lot we haven’t talked about.” Liv said.

“Will we?” he glanced at her.

“Some of it tonight, which is why I wanted something good to eat.”

Ed didn’t quite know what to say, it was probably better to say nothing. Three months in and they were doing OK as friends and co-parents. A few tough conversations had been had; there would surely be more. Ed felt he made his intent clear. He loved Noah and wanted to be his father. He cared about Liv as a person and was willing to engage in the compromise necessary for them to be the best and most effective parental unit. 

It was an unconventional arrangement to say the least. Not because millions of former partners weren't doing it but because Ed was neither Noah’s biological or adoptive parent. He was the guy that Noah’s mom dated for about a year and half. But he had been his father figure for all of that time. They'd gotten close. 

Kids deserved loving families and they came in every variety. They had two moms, two dads, single parents, married couples, divorced or never married co-parents...many versions were possible. Maybe it was better not to label it or give himself a headache trying to fit it perfectly in a box since it wasn’t quite about them anyway. As long as Liv and Ed could communicate well enough and be cordial to one another then the primary focus would remain Noah and his wellbeing.

“I had brunch with Trevor yesterday.” Liv said after she and Ed were seated at a small booth in the corner of Mama June’s. The small soul food restaurant was about half full in the seating area but the takeout counter was as hopping as always. They'd ordered drinks, after Ed got better acquainted with the server, and asked for time to peruse the menu. The whole place smelled amazing and Jeffrey Osborne woo woo woo’d over the speakers at a nice volume.

“Langan? I hope he's well. Please tell me that he and ADA Barba are still together.”

“They have a fantastic condo and three dogs. But Barba isn't in the DA’s office anymore. He does immigration law and teaches classes at John Jay.”

“My alma mater.” Ed smiled.

“Yes. Anyway, he thought we should all get together on Thursday evening and hammer out exactly how we want this to go. He's not an expert in family law so one of his associates will join us. We’ll discuss formal adoption, putting a custody agreement on paper, and child support. I don’t want you breaking your neck with the money thing, Ed. I do well and I know you're still paying child support for Caitlin and Jason.”

“Would you let me off the hook if I was Noah’s biological father?” he asked.

“Probably not.” Liv shuddered thinking about Noah’s biological father. 

She was so damn glad that Johnny D was dead. She was so glad that her son had a man like Ed who wanted such good things for him. It was scary when Ed first brought up making things legal and Liv was ready to put the walls back up. Then she had to step back and remember that everything wasn’t about her. She always promised Noah that he was going to have the whole world. 

What kind of mother would she be depriving him of a wonderful father? Ed was a good man, and a good father. This wasn’t about them and what had or hadn’t happened between them. Especially since the breakup had nothing to do with Ed not being a great guy. If she would've stayed with him then Ed would've adopted Noah. This was different in many ways and just what they both wanted in others.

“Then don’t do it now.” Ed said. “Legally I only pay child support for Cait until she turns 18 early next year. She's about to start college though so there will definitely be expenses. She got two scholarships that cover about 70% of her fees; Betsy and I have agreed to split the rest. Cait wants to take out a small loan for books and expenses but I refuse to let her go into a lifetime of debt for wanting a college education.”

“Where is she going to school?” Liv asked.

Once upon a time, she and Caitlin Tucker were quite close. That was a long time ago. She and Ed hadn’t talked much about how his kids were doing. They probably should…Liv thought they were great kids. He was a great dad. 

The server returned with their drinks so Ed and Olivia ordered dinner. He wasn’t too hungry, didn’t like eating late, so he ordered a dark half of honey barbecue chicken and a healthy slice of the cornbread. Some butter and cane syrup would make it a meal into itself. As the server walked away, Ed answered Liv’s question.

“She decided on Sarah Lawrence, which was her second choice, so she’s thrilled right now. She’s taking a double major in sociology and gender studies and minoring in philosophy.”

“Oh wow. Sociology was your college major, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, but I never intended to use it for much. I just liked studying people and knew it would be helpful in being a cop. The major is unrecognizable, in good ways, from when I studied it. Betsy was moody about it, thought it might be Michelle’s undue influence—whatever that means—but Caitlin is passionate and very, very smart. She graduated fourth in her class.”

“Who's Michelle?” Liv asked.

“Hmm?”

“Who's Michelle? Betsy was moody about Michelle’s undue influence.”

“Michelle is a good friend of mine but it’s only because of Cait that I know her. Two years ago, Cait really started getting into feminism and black activism. Her mother was upset and I admit that I was concerned. Not concerned that she wanted to be a better world citizen but concerned that some dickhead cop would beat her with a baton at one of those protests. She and I made a compromise that she would skip protests, which could turn violent sometimes, and go to seminars and talks. 

“I went with her to basically look grizzly so no one would fuck with my kid. Michelle was speaking at one of them. She's an associate professor of Sociology at Barnard and very well-versed in intersectional feminism, something I didn’t even know existed when I first heard her speak. Honestly I was just as fascinated as Caitlin was with the whole thing. She from a budding feminist point of view, me from an academic one. 

“Maybe I was just fascinated with Michelle,” Ed smiled some and shrugged. “I don't know. We saw her twice more before Caitlin finally got the courage to talk to her. I needed some courage as well but managed to get a tea date…out of my daughter’s earshot of course. Over the past couple of years she's been influential in what Cait wants to study and finding her place in the world of intersectional feminism and activism.”

“She sounds like your girlfriend.” Liv said.

“I'm sorry?”

“Noah said that you had a girlfriend.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because he's six years old and he needs no rhyme or reason to blurt things out.”

“Well Michelle’s not…actually she…”

Ed’s phone buzzed in his back pocket. He pulled it out, looked at it, and couldn’t help but smile. Speak of the devil…

‘ _If my memory serves, you own at least 3 nice black suits_.’ –Chelly Belle

‘ _Is that the Brooklyn way of saying hello these days_?’ –Ed

He quickly typed a reply and then looked at Liv.

“I need to take this. I'm not ignoring you; I’ll make it quick.”

“Of course.” She nodded and sipped her lemonade.

‘ _Hello Edward_.’ –Chelly Belle

‘ _Hi there_.’ –Ed

‘ _Are you busy on Friday? I have an awards shindig that I thought I'd managed to avoid. I got the dates mixed up_.’ –Chelly Belle

‘ _I'm free_.’ –Ed

‘ _I'm going to need a buffer_.’ –Chelly Belle

‘ _Why not call it a date and get it over with_?’ –Ed

‘ _When you have a specific job I like to let you know ahead of time_.’ –Chelly Belle

‘ _You are good about that_.’ –Ed

‘ _I figure 90 minutes to 2 hours and then I'm running out of there. We can go somewhere for wine and dessert_.’ –Chelly Belle

‘ _Sounds nice. It’s been a while since we've talked_.’ –Ed

‘ _You owe me much intriguing conversation, Captain_.’ –Chelly Belle

‘ _I always give what I owe_.’ –Ed

‘ _Or what you need_.’ –Ed

‘ _Boy, bye! LOL! You can pick me up at 6:30, it’s at the Circle Supper Club_.’ –Chelly Belle

‘ _I got it, and will be there. I’ll call you tomorrow; I'm with a friend now handling some business. So…talk later_?’ –Ed

‘ _Yes, absolutely. See ya_!  <3’ –Chelly Belle

‘<3<3<3’ –Ed

He cleared his throat and put his phone back in his pocket. Liv was looking at him but seemed as if she didn’t want to. Ed had nothing to hide and wasn’t going to turn Michelle into a dirty secret. He and Liv were not a couple; had not been for quite a long time. He hoped their peaceful, renewed friendship wasn’t contingent on him remaining single. Especially since prior conversation showed it wasn’t that way for her.

“That was Michelle.” He said.

“Was it?” her eyes widened a bit.

“Yes. She isn't my girlfriend; I'm not quite sure where Noah got that idea. I'm friends with a lot of women so he may not have been talking about her. Michelle is a good friend; we've dated casually in the past and could in the future. We have been intimate. I care for her deeply.”

“Oh.” It was all Liv could think to say. Her thoughts began to race; what was Michelle like? Was she beautiful? Was she brilliant? Did she satisfy Ed in bed? Did he love her now or had he once upon a time? How close were Michelle and Caitlin? 

Did his kids like Michelle as they had Liv once? If she had him, Liv was sure that she was too smart to let him go. And while Ed had never lied to her about anything, for better or for worse, he was not being completely honest about Michelle right now. His eyes lit up when he talked about her. While she may be just a friend now that didn’t mean something else wasn’t coming. “Well, your personal life is none of my business, Ed.”

“Oh c'mon, Liv, we’re friends. It’s fine. I don’t have anything to hide from people in my life. If I want to keep something from you then I’ll do that respectfully. I don’t have to hide Michelle….I’m not going to.”

“Of course.” Liv nodded as their dinner arrived. Suddenly her stomach felt sour. She was going to pretend that it didn’t. “She sounds like a great person.”

“She is. Do you know much about intersectional feminism because I was clueless about it? I barely knew what feminism was though I thought I did. Michelle schooled me good.”

“I don’t know as much as I should on the subject, especially given what I do for a living and have done. I know there are intersections, that all feminism isn't the same. They intersect at race, class, sexual orientation, and probably other things. I know that white feminism isn't a good thing.”

“That’s how Caitlin started on her journey. At school, a teammate of hers called her a white feminist and she started researching to find out just what that meant. Plus, she's a quarter African-American and she wasn’t sure if telling people that would look as if she was pandering when she hadn’t lived the experience.”

“Cait is a quarter African-American?”

“All of my kids are.” Ed replied. “My ex-mother in law is black. She's very light skinned and moved from South Carolina to New Jersey in the 1950s doing what was then called passing. Betsy and her brother didn’t even know until they were practically adults. Betsy told me before we got married but it didn’t matter to me, I loved her. She wasn’t going to tell the kids, her mother still doesn’t advertise it, but that felt wrong to me. 

“We told them when they were young. That African-American was as much their culture as Irish on my side and Scot-German on their mother’s side, etc. The problem was that we did a lousy job of teaching them. Cait is the only one who is making a real effort to embrace all the cultures that make up who she is. I'm not mad at Sean and Jason; it falls on Betsy and me.”

“Is Michelle African-American?” Liv asked. She was eating slowly, watching the way his face changed when she said her name again. “Is she helping Caitlin?”

“She's mixed race as well and that’s definitely helpful for Cait. Chelly is Black, white and Native though she looks black and that’s what she’s judged as. The amount of books she's given Cait is staggering…I hardly know how she retains it all. It drives her mother crazy. She's troubled by Cait being ethnic and definitely a raging feminist.”

“How do you feel?”

“I want my daughter to be happy.” Ed said. “I’ll even bail her out if she’s arrested, within reason. She's looking at Martin Sheen numbers and I'm terrified. Hey, did you know that he was half-Cuban?”

“Yes, his birth name is Ramon Estevez.” She nodded.

“Yes!” Ed pointed at her. “I was clueless.”

“So, will Thursday be alright to meet with Trevor and the family lawyer?”

“I usually hang out with Noah that night anyway so it shouldn’t be a problem. Have you looked into private education summer camps? I know some of them can be expensive but I'm sure we can find one that works.”

“I actually found one that I really like but it’s pricey.” Liv said.

“We can split the cost. What are we talking about?”

“$1800 for about 9 weeks. It’s in Brooklyn, which becomes a logistical nightmare when we start talking about pick up and drop off.”

“For $1800 there should be a damn school bus.” Ed said.

“I know right? I can look into it.”

“My schedule is more flexible than yours…I mostly make my own hours. I’ll be in charge of making sure he gets there and home.”

“Ed, I don’t even know what you do. I've thought about it a lot but wasn’t sure how to ask.”

“I work part time with ESU training. We do tactical practices, hostage negotiation classes, and mock legal proceedings for when that kind of thing comes up, even interrogation 101. When it comes to emergency services, especially post 9/11, it’s important to the NYPD that old farts like me mentor the young people coming up. The police get a lot of shit, and most of it is deserved. But our Emergency Services Unit is one of the best in the world. I also do a little side work with the tactical terrorist preparedness squads.”

“I know why, you told me a little about why, but I will never understand how you could leave work that exciting for IAB. That’s where people go for punishment not peace of mind.”

“Firstly, that’s something that needs to change. It was something I worked toward changing at the end of my tenure. I had three kids, Liv. They'd already been through the trauma of a divorce; I couldn’t stay in a job where my life was in even more danger than your average cop. Anyway, you have to be in a very specific headspace at all times for hostage negotiation and emergency services. After my marriage fell apart I wasn’t there anymore. But I could damn sure interrogate someone into confessing, legally and with aplomb.

“Everyone hated you.” she said. There was nothing behind it, no malice or satisfaction. Liv was just making a statement.

“I could care less what people think about me, especially some of the people I had sitting on the other side of my table over the years. I outlasted every one of them but believe me when I tell you they were rarely on my mind. So you're going to need $900 for Noah?”

“I know it’s a lot but this program sounds amazing. I’ll email you the information before you write the check…I think he can thrive in that environment.”

“That’s all that matters to me.” Ed said. “His reading grade went up and I was really pleased. We’ve been spending a lot of time reading, practicing, and working with the flashcards.”

“His teacher told me that he says the most fantastic things during learning circle and always ends with ‘my dad taught me that’.”

“I refuse to take all the credit.” He said, though his smile was wide. “You held down the fort for six years and are still holding it down.”

“I had a little help somewhere in the middle.” Liv said.

“Do you want to get some dessert?”

“Yes, but I won't. I've done enough indulging for the night. Also, I've kept you out long enough.”

“I'm not complaining. You’re always good company.”

Liv smiled and then went back to her food with a solemn look on her face. There was someone else in Ed’s life; she could tell he was holding something back from her. She didn’t want to be demanding but at the same time needed to know. Who was Michelle and what did they do together? Liv wasn’t so naïve as to think in the three years since they broke up that Ed would date no one. 

He was handsome, kind, generous, and nice to be around. He also smelled amazing. He knew how to make a woman feel like the center of the universe. That’s how he made Liv feel. How did Michelle feel when they were together? Why had he not brought her up over these months? Was it because it was a truly casual thing or because it was so much more? How much right, if any, did Liv had to direct answers to all of her questions? If it would affect Noah, then the answer was plenty.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Ed reached for her hand.

“I'm just thinking about how busy this week will be. I'm thinking about what I can afford to brush off and what I can't.”

“I hear you. My schedule has picked up recently, something I didn’t quite intend for it to do. I retired for a reason and now things are cutting into my weekly nap times.”

“Are you serious?” Liv laughed some.

The server returned to ask how the meal was. Ed was charming as usual; he really did have a way with wait staff.

“Everything was just terrific, Mickey, thank you so much.” He smiled. “We’ll have the check please.”

“Coming right up.”

“I'm serious about the nap thing, Liv. I usually have one on Wednesday and Friday afternoon. I’ll eat a good lunch, curl up on the couch or bed with the dog, and turn off the world. Never less than 90 minutes and never more than 2 and a half hours. Five years ago I would’ve thought it was ridiculous…these days I've written it into my life. It’s amazing.”

“Maybe I should try it.”

“You should, it goes perfectly with meditation and bubble baths. Maybe Noah can start spending the nights with me on some weekends so you can get one in. You know they can be life changing.”

Liv almost blushed when he said it. The last one she took ended in Ed waking her from an erotic dream he had no idea that he was costarring in. She didn’t think that was what he meant but the memory came rushing back anyway. When the server left the check, Liv got her voice back.

“I should probably pay half.” She said.

“You don’t have to,” Ed reached into his back pocket for his wallet. “It’s not too bad.”

“We’re not…I can pay my own way, Ed.”

“OK.” He nodded and handed her the bill. That was a conversation they didn’t need to have. Sometimes he wasn’t sure if Liv was doing things on purpose to get a reaction out of him or if he was thinking too highly of himself. So if she said that they should go Dutch, then that’s what they would do. Even if they were romantically involved, he wasn’t obligated to pay for all the meals.

“Here you go.” She pulled a $20 out of her purse. “I'm just going to use the ladies room.”

“I’ll be here.”

They left the restaurant together about 15 minutes later, and walked in different directions. Liv laughed some as she walked back over to him.

“You're taking the train back to Tribeca?” he asked.

“Yes, it’s cheaper and less stressful than an Uber.”

“I always feel the need to chat in an Uber and if I'm not feeling chatty then I feel rude.” Ed said. “It’s a very uncomfortable feeling.”

“Agreed.” Liv nodded. “It’s been a long day and I very much look forward to falling into bed.”

“I wish we could've met up earlier.”

“It’s OK, I really don’t want to disrupt too much of your life. I know you enjoy your stitch group. I can't blame you…they seem like a lively crowd.”

“You should find something like that outside of work.” Ed said. “I'm glad that you left the constant stress of the NYPD behind, but you're still in a busy, stressful job. You should always have ways to decompress. I find group activities, sports, stitching, book clubs, are really great.”

“Thank you, but I'm OK. I'm not just saying that to have something to say. I'm really fine.”

“OK.” Ed nodded. “Then I’ll see you on Thursday, Liv.”

She nodded as well, her hand reaching down to tug on the hem of his black Polo. Ed sighed and wrapped his arms around her. Liv put one arm around his back, the other between them holding on to his shirt.

“Be safe going home.” He whispered.

“You too.”

They held on just a bit longer, Ed’s lips brushing across her forehead. Liv rubbed his back.

“See you around, Tucker.” She pulled out of his embrace. It hurt to do so but she held onto her smile.

“Goodnight.”

Ed blew her a kiss and watched her walk away. He did his best to ignore the drop in his stomach as he thought of her walking to the train alone. Ed had an overprotected streak, especially with the women in his life, and he was trying to grow out of it. Liv was a grown woman more than capable of taking care of herself in any situation. He'd seen and experienced that for himself. 

Going into overprotection mode with Liv wasn’t a good thing. So Ed turned and started his own walk. It was a hot night and Harlem was as lively as always. He was going to enjoy his walk to the train, keep his mind as clear as possible. Monday was a day that people dreaded for any number of reasons. Since retiring, Ed rarely worked on Mondays. 

He slept in unless doing things recently with Noah. He'd made the day a leisurely extension of Sunday, ending it with an always excellent stitch and bitch session. Tonight he got to have a nice, if slightly awkward, dinner with Liv. So it was better to let go of the butterflies, the worries, and the strain that sometimes came with this situation. Ed knew the perfect elixir for that. He took his phone from his pocket, scrolled the contacts, and slid his finger across the screen.

“Hello.”

“Hi. So tell me what you need a buffer for.” He said.

“Are you worried that you said yes too quickly?” she asked laughing. “Now you need a full explanation so you can reassess?”

“My yes still stands. I just wanna hear you talk, Chelly.”

“Oh, well we can chatter about something much more interesting than that. Guess who's going to be a part of a panel with some of the most prominent women of color in social science?”

***


End file.
